Manson Northwest Webster CSD
2017-18 Annual Report to the Community
Providing rich educational experiences in a safe, positive environment.
This report is a summary of progress for the 2017-2018 school year at Manson Northwest Webster. The information contains Iowa Department of Education requirements along with other locally determined indicators of student success. In addition, there is information about graduation, community connections, preschool, and staff. And last, please enjoy the highlights of learning at each building.
PreK12 Vision for Teaching and Learning
Find Out About Manson Northwest Webster
Email: jdaggett@manson-nw.k12.ia.us
Website: mnwcougars.com
Location: 1030 Main Street, Manson, IA, USA
Phone: 712.469.2202
Facebook: facebook.com/mnwcougars
Twitter: @mnwcougars
Long Range Goals
Manson Northwest Webster’s Long Range Goals
These goals define targets for all students to reach by graduation.
All students K-12 will achieve at high levels in reading comprehension,
math, and science and be prepared for success beyond high school.
Annual Student Achievement Goals
Annual Student Achievement Goals for 2017-18
The annual improvement goals for 2017-18 focused on increasing the number of students who are proficient in the Iowa Assessments subtests of Reading, Math and Science in grades 3-11. The state requirements for goal setting indicate that the district must have at least one goal for reading, math, and science. These goals can be set at any level. With this in mind, the building leadership teams examined the student achievement data and set goals for their building. As the goal results were analyzed, it was noted that because of the small class sizes, the percent of increase or decrease actually might involve only 1 or 2 students. Progress on the goals is described below.
JH/SH, Grades 7-11
Reading:
Following the Class of 2021 (this year’s 9th grade students) the percent proficient in reading comprehension, as measured by the Iowa Assessment will increase from 73%
Results: 76% proficient
Math:
Following the Class of 2019 (this year’s 11th grade students) the percent proficient in math, as measured by the Iowa Assessments, will increase from 80%
Results: 80% proficient
Science:
Following the Class of 2022 (this year’s 8th grade students) the percent proficient in science, as measured by the Iowa Assessments, will increase from 76%
Results: 78% proficient
Elementary
Reading:
Following the Class of 2025 (this year’s 5th graders), the percent proficient in reading as measured by the Iowa Assessments will increase from 70%
Results: 66% proficient
Math:
Following the Class of 2024 (this year’s 6th graders), the percent proficient in math, as measured by the Iowa Assessments will increase from 62%.
Results: 62% proficient
Science:
Following the Class of 2026 (this year’s 4th graders), the percent proficient in science as measured by the Iowa Assessments will increase from 80%.
Results: 80% proficient
Iowa Assessments
The Iowa Assessments were given mid-year in 2017-18. The following graphs provide a summary of all MNW students across grades 3-11 in Reading, Math, and Science. Comparisons are made of MNW students with those in the Prairie Lakes AEA region as well as the state of Iowa. It is important to note these graphs give only a summary and snapshot of student results.
● Proficiency – shows the performance of grade groups and compares MNW students with those in AEA and the state. Proficiency is considered the 41st percentile and above.
MNW's Second Assessment to show Student Learning
Measures of Academic Progress (MAP)
The MAP test is a computer adaptive test that adjusts to the student’s performance. Upon completion of the test, students immediately receive a RIT score. This score is not an achievement score, but instead measures where a student is instructionally. The RIT score has the same meaning regardless of whether a student is at the top, bottom, or middle of the RIT scale, and it has the same meaning regardless of grade level. In this way the RIT scale measures how “tall” a student is on the curriculum scale. The National Norms include data from over 2.8 million students from across the United States.
The following charts show growth from fall of 2017 to spring of 2018 in grades 2-6, using the average RIT score. Grades 7-11 show a fall RIT score that indicates where the average class stands on the RIT scale.
Preschool
The Little Cougar Preschool is a fully inclusive program that serves both special needs and mainstream three and four year old students. The program, which has adopted and meets the Iowa Quality Preschool Program Standards, uses The Iowa Early Learning Standards to guide expectations for the children. These standards also guide instructional practices for teachers. Collaboration with community and agency partners, multiple and varied assessments including On-Line Gold, Creative Curriculum. Project Based Leaning, and Positive Behavior Instructional Strategies are all highlights of the MNW preschool program.
Graduation requirements: 52 credits
Core requirements: 8 semesters of language arts, 6 semesters of math, science and social studies, 4 PE, 1 Health, 1 Civic Leadership
Core completers: 31 out of 52 students: 59.6%
Graduation Rate: 52 out of 54 students: 96.3%
Other Indicators of Academic Success
Seniors who intend to pursue post-secondary education/training: 81%
Total number of students in grades 7-12 in 2017-18: 329
Manson Northwest Webster ACT Results
Information was gathered from the ACT College Readiness letter prepared for Manson Northwest Webster. There were 23 students who took the test in 2017-18. The composite score was 20.5. Students going to a four year college following high school take the ACT exam. However, some MNW students elect to take the test even though they may not have plans to attend a four year institution. The Iowa Post-secondary Success Indicator as identified by the Iowa Department of Education is a score of 20.
Community Connections
More than 50 residents were members of school advisory committees in 2017-18. The topics ranged from school improvement, to at risk issues, to school to work, to Iowa Core. In addition to advisory committees, other community groups were active in school/community activities.
Parent Involvement
The staff at MNW understands the importance of parental involvement in children’s learning. To keep parents informed, district, building, and classroom links are part of the district website. Two open houses are held at the beginning of the year and two parent-teacher conferences are held during the year. Parents are also part of the school improvement advisory committee.
The MNW Elementary Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) was re-established in 2017-18. The goal of the group is to support learning at the elementary. They held a carnival in October, sponsored PBIS activities such as a magician and kindness centers, provided meals and an appreciation lunch for our teachers, and helped raise funds to support elementary programs.
School/Community Club Donations
The Cougar Club provides concession stands for athletic events. The club donates proceeds for the purchase of athletic and music department uniforms, and supports special events.
Manson Northwest Webster Education Foundation
The Manson Northwest Webster Education Foundation holds annual Cash for Cougars call campaigns to raise funds for scholarships for seniors. The money that is raised is divided between the participating students. In addition, the foundation awards scholarships to graduates each year.
Highly Qualified Staff:
73 licensed staff
24 teachers with graduate degrees
Elementary Highlights
Implementing PLTW: MNW Elementary received a grant in 2017-18 to implement Project Lead the Way: Launch. The program consists of units of study at each grade level that match the Next Generation Science Standards. Four teachers were trained over the summer as PLTW teacher trainers, and then brought this learning back to the elementary staff during professional development. Units cover topics such as Earth sciences, computer coding, engineering, and biology. Each unit includes a project and a problem to solve, as well as real-life applications.
High Impact Instruction learning for teachers: Our teachers strive to be life-long learners, and the 2017-18 school year was no exception! Our high school and elementary staff are studying and implementing High Impact Instruction, by Jim Knight. Teachers are exploring and improving their use of instructional time, planning, assessments, and community building in their classrooms.
Maker Space: Libraries at both the elementary school and the Jr/Sr High School are equipped with a makerspace, which Teacher Librarian Christine Sturgeon defines as a "community center with tools." Both makerspaces have a recording studio, zSpace virtual reality computer, Cricut vinyl cutting machine, sewing machine, and lots and lots of craft supplies. Students are able to use supplies and equipment for projects for school or for fun, and teachers are able to utilize the space as well. The Jr/Sr High School has a Maker Club which does fundraisers for the makerspace as well as taking members on field trips. What are you going to make?
Parent Teacher Organization: The 2017-2018 school year was a rebuilding year for the MNW Elementary PTO. Led by Mrs. Pam Bleam, the group strives to support learning at MNW. They held a carnival in October, sponsored PBIS activities such as a magician and kindness centers, provided meals and appreciation for our teachers, and helped raise funds to support elementary programs.
Kindness centers: All MNW Elementary students participated in kindness centers on February 23rd, 2018. Some of the activities included making blankets for hurricane victims, making no-skid socks and room decorations for local nursing home residents, supporting local animal shelters, sending care packages to people in need, and writing letters to veterans.
Reading rodeo: A reading rodeo was held at MNW Elementary during the last week of school! Students visited grade-level stations, designed to encourage the enjoyment of summer reading. Stations also included the rodeo theme with food, music, and some great rodeo stories.
May mini-courses: The 5th and 6th grade team of teachers coordinated mini-courses for their students in May. The courses were anywhere from 4 hours to 2 days long. Choices included cooking, reading, football, archery, Harry Potter, origami, yoga, and photography, just to name a few. Many community members helped out as well. The students reported they loved having choices about what they learned and that the mini-courses were very interesting!
Jr/Sr High School Highlights
In another area, students spent two days going on industry tours. They went to Hagie, Hi-Capacity, Bauer Built, & John Deere. The last three days of this unit were spent working with some of the highlights of the MNW programs. These included but were not limited to 3D printing, vinyl cutting, laser etching, drone flying, 3D graphics, and electrathon. It was a great connection between industry and technology.
The Cougar Challenge: This concept was designed to bring the students in grades 7-12 together in one area to have fun and and enjoy Cougar Spirit. Monthly, throughout the school year, students competed in several different challenges, both physical and academic, and competed in a fun, friendly environment. During this time six students were announced as Student of the Month and recognized for being awesome. The Class of 2019 won the Cougar Challenge Cup for the 2017-18 school year.
High Impact Instruction: MNW has adopted the High Impact Instruction Strategies by Jim Knight. The administrative team wanted to provide high leverage teaching strategies and tools to the staff that are universal to all teachers. The High Impact Walk-through Data was collected by the building principal and superintendent nearly every week to provide feedback in the multiple areas. The feedback was shared with the teachers and a form collecting specific data was collected and discussed throughout the year. Last year over sixty data points were collected and analyzed with the teachers.
First Tech Challenge: The First Tech Challenge used a combination of several different technologies/equipment available at MNW which some students may not have much familiarity with. Students may have heard about some of the equipment available but never had the opportunity to experience it firsthand. This team spent part of the time doing various tasks utilizing the school's 3D printer, vinyl cutter, plasma cutter, and laser cutter. The students built a robot using the specs the state provided for their yearly competition. The team also spent time exploring what goes on in the First Tech Challenge Robotics class competition. The First Tech Challenge team allowed students to think critically, work collaboratively, and learn about simple to complex computer programming needed to be successful at each one of the competitions. MNW had the pleasure of hosting our first ever competition in December of 2017. The district will host again next school year.
Real World Wednesdays: In the 2017-2018 school year, junior high students took part in "Real World Wednesday." Most Wednesdays, a special speaker visited and spoke during PRIDE time to introduce students to their professional field. Fields such as medicine, alternative energy, and journalism, as well as many others, were represented. The year culminated with a special visit from Dr. Ryan Wise, Director of the Iowa Department of Education, who spoke and then toured the Jr/Sr High School, elementary school, and NCCS where he visited with both students and staff.
Elementary School Contact
Elementary School - Grades PreK-6
303 Pierce Street
Barnum, Iowa 50518
515.542.3211
Principal: Bret Larson
Jr/Sr High School Contact
1601 15th Street
Manson, Iowa 50563
712.469.2245
Principal: Kevin Wood
Non-discrimination Policy
It is the policy of the Manson Northwest Webster Community School District not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, creed, age (for employment), marital status (for programs), sexual orientation, gender identity and socioeconomic status (for programs) in its educational programs and its employment practices. There is a grievance procedure for processing complaints of discrimination. If you have questions or a grievance related to this policy please contact the district’s equity coordinator, Jeff Anliker, Counselor; 712-469-2712; janliker@manson-nw.k12.ia.us